In Rakuzan
by Kyouka Setsura
Summary: Seirin lose the winter cup as Kuroko cannot make the winning shoot. And, a change start to happen inside Seirin Basketball Team
1. Chapter 1 :Frozen

**I****n Rakuzan**

**Pairing : Akashi Seijuurou and Kuroko Tetsuya (AkaKuro)**

**Summary : Seirin lose the winter cup as Kuroko cannot make the winning shoot. And, a change start to happen inside Seirin Basketball Team**

**Warning : Beware of OOC-ness.**

**Beta'ed by Kerilu 95**

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_~Chapter one : Frozen~_

Only one more shot.

One more shot and Seirin could win. Seirin could be Japan number one basketball team. The score difference is only one point, in Rakuzan's favour. Another 30 seconds before the game will be over, but it's enough time for Seirin to make a comeback.

Hyuuga pass the ball to Izuki, who immediately pass to Kuroko, seeing that Kagami is being guarded by Akashi and Nebuya. Kuroko immediately uses his vanishing drive and take a stance to shoot his phantom shoot, but his body froze.

**Kuroko's POV**

_'__What can I do after I win?_

_ '__The winning shoot is going to be made by me! Everyone is counting on it!'_

_'__This is my only chance to make Seirin become number one'_

_'__The clock is still ticking! I cannot stop!'_

_'__Move body! This is their hope!'_

_'__But what will happen to him?'_

_'__What is going to happen to Akashi-kun if I win?'_

_'__Will he be able to accept it?'_

_'__Will he be able to look at me again?'_

_'__Akashi-kun...'_

Immediately the sound of a buzzer enters my ear, releasing me from my frozen state. As I am looking around, I know. Seirin just lost to Rakuzan because of me. From the court, I could see coach crying and Kagami-kun looking a mixture of surprise, sadness, anger and other emotions I cannot describe. But it's not just Kagami-kun, all of the Seirin team members looked that way. But why is it? Why can't I feel sad? Why do I feel relief?

"All teams please gather!" The referee shouts out

_Calmness before storm_

**Normal POV**

"Thank you for the match!"

Kuroko and the rest of Seirin returned to their room with frowns plastered all over their faces. After they arrived Kagami pushed Kuroko to the wall.

"Oy Kuroko! Why didn't you shoot!? It was our only chance!" Kagami shouted.

"I...I don't know. My body just froze." Kuroko said, looking sideways at the bench.

"Kagami-kun stop it! It's alright. We just need to give it back to them next year. It might be because we gave our last shot to Kuroko-kun, who is used to being invisible was suddenly in the spotlight with that last shot." Riko said while releasing Kuroko from Kagami's angry grip.

"Yep...Don't mind, Kuroko" Hyuuga said while poking Kuroko's shoulder

"Now, we cannot stay here forever! Let's move everyone!" Riko shouted and started to pack her things, followed by everyone else in the room and went out, leaving Kuroko alone in the room.

Kuroko just slid down the wall and thought about the match. Kuroko was in daze for about 10 minutes, until the door opened, revealing Kise, Aomine, Midorima, Murasakibara, and Akashi. All the generation of miracles was there, standing in the doorway.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise shouted happily and attacked the boy who was sitting on the floor with a bear hug.

"Ki...Kise-kun...I...I can't..."Kuroko managed to say.

"Ryouta, Let him go." Akashi commanded and Kise immediately released Kuroko

"Tetsuya...Come with us for a dinner" Akashi said **(Okay, I think everybody knows but he is commanding)**

Kuroko thought about refusing and catching up with his team, but decided against it. The way they left Kuroko by himself, made the young shadow unwilling to go after them.

"Okay..." Kuroko agreed, unable to turn down his former captain. "But why is it just the Generation of Miracles? Are you not inviting your other teammates?" Kuroko asked practically to all of them.

"Well...Akashicchi told us to have dinner together. And well...It's been a long time since our last dinner together, hasn't it?" Kise answered

"It's the same with me."Aomine said lazily

"Aka-chin said that there will be food, so I came..." Murasakibara answer while eating some potato chips

"Akashi asked me, and I couldn't say no. I...It's not like that I _want_ to have dinner with Generation of Miracles or anything, though." Midorima said while straighten his glasses

"Oh...then, let's go." Kuroko quickly said as he got up from his sitting position and grabbed his bag. Kuroko followed Akashi and Midorima. Following Kuroko was Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara.

They went to the nearest restaurant, which was an oriental-styled restaurant. They immediately sat down and ordered some food. They just talked with each other, catching up about each other's new school and life. That was, until Aomine and Kise started a ruckus in the restaurant, causing them to be kicked out. Immediately all the Generation of Miracles paid for their food and went outside, where they saw that Kise and Aomine were still bickering.

"Aominecchi! It's because of you we got kicked out!" Kise said while pouting.

"Hah? The hell I know 'bout it. And you're the one who started the argument, Kise!"Aomine shot back.

"But you're the one who kept on denying it! You should just be honest and say that I'm already on the same level as you!" Kise demanded.

"No way..."Aomine said lazily.

"Aomine-kun, Kise-kun, please stop. You're noisy." Kuroko said bluntly.

"That's right, Kise, Aomine. Today Gemini's and Virgo's have a worst compatibility so it's better to stay away from each other." Midorima said.

"Enough Daiki, Ryouta. Let's go." Akashi said while he started to walk away, followed by everyone else.

They just strolled down the street, until they arrived at a park. Everyone took a seat except for Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara, who said that they wanted to go to a convenience store to buy some drinks (and snacks, for Murasakibara). Akashi and Midorima just conversed. Kuroko would say one or two words, but nothing much. Suddenly they heard a voice, Kagami's voice, to be exact

"Shit! He ruined it for us all! Our chance to win was right before our eyes and he crushed it because of some damn thing called 'freezing'!" Kagami's voice could be heard, but the person could not be seen. Kagami just, by coincidence walked past that park.

"Well...It's really true that Kuroko-kun's reason cannot be accepted. Since it was your last competition..." This time, it was Riko's voice which could be heard. Her voice was laced with disappointment.

"Well...Isn't it alright? Kuroko-kun..." Teppei's voice could be heard but the rest was a blur because they were walking away. Kuroko looked really sad, while Akashi and Midorima looked angry enough to get up and confront the Seirin group, but they were stopped by Kuroko.

"It's alright, Midorima-kun, Akashi-kun. They're right."Kuroko said meekly.

"Tetsuya, they're saying harsh thing about you." Akashi informed him somewhat impatiently.

"It's true." Midorima added.

"It's alright. We just have to win in the next competition." Kuroko said while smiling a strained smile.

"But Rakuzan won't let you." Akashi said while smiling a genuine smile.

"And Shutoku will not lose again." Midorima said, also smiling while he straightened his glasses.

"Yes, it would be a problem if you guys go easy on us." Kuroko said. Not too long after that, Akashi pointed out that it was getting late and that they had to go home. Dismissing them, all of Generation of Miracles left towards their own respective houses.

_Who is going to erase the sin's evidence?_

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**Okay...First chapter done!. Do tell me how should I continue this story (because I really don't know how to continue this)!Review?**


	2. Chapter 2 :Decision

**The second chapter!Banzai!**

**Beta'ed by Kerilu95**

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_~Chapter two: Decision~_

RIIINNNGGGGG

The bell rang, signalling that it was the end of school. Everybody started to pack up their things and either headed home or went to their respective clubs. That was what Kagami and Kuroko were going to do; head to basketball club.

Ever since the Winter Cup, Kagami and Kuroko hadn't talked much. Even when Kuroko wanted to talk to Kagami about things other than basketball, the taller male simply avoided him or purposely didn't notice him. When they practiced, their plays didn't connect anymore. Their relationship was broken. Kagami was distancing himself from Kuroko.

Silently, Kuroko headed to basketball club first, leaving the still packing Kagami. Walking alone, he arrived at the basketball gym and headed to the locker room. He changed his clothes and started to do some warm-up alone. He did sit ups, push ups, and some running. He ran outside, circling the gym.

When Kuroko came back, he was surprised that the practice had already started without him. Kuroko walked towards Riko and Hyuuga, who were busy conversing.

**Kuroko POV**

"Do you think this is alright?" Hyuuga-senpai's voice reached my ears. Curious, I walked closer to them, so that I could hear them more clearly.

"Putting Kuroko-kun on the bench will surely be disadvantageous for us, but we also need the other members to feel what it is like on the court. Plus, in the winter-cup, Kuroko froze and couldn't shoot. I think he needs to take a break. That match also made Kagami-kun mad at him, so I don't think those two could coordinate that well again." Coach answered. The answer from coach made me freeze. Were they in the middle of considering whether or not I should be benched?

"Well...If you say so. But how are we going tell Kuroko this? He will be upset if we suddenly put him on the bench." Hyuuga-senpai asked Coach. Of course I will be upset! Do they really want to put me on the bench because I couldn't shoot at Winter Cup?

"Don't worry. We will tell him if he comes. But I don't think he will upset. We rarely see him emotional after all. Just say that the other members also need more experience, and I'm sure he will agree happily." Coach answered.

'So...that's how you think of me...a disposable tool that can be thrown away after I'm not useful anymore.' I whispered in a quiet tone.

Making sure that they didn't notice me, I immediately took my bag with me and walked away from that gym. Seeing as I was still dressed in my training clothes, I walked to a nearby mall and changed my clothes in the toilet. No matter how invisible I was, walking with only a plain shirt and short pants is still embarrassing.

**Normal POV**

Kuroko exited the toilet and started walking to the front entrance. He intended to go home immediately, not realizing there was a person behind him

Tap

Kuroko looked over his shoulder, only to be surprised to see his former captain, Akashi Seijuurou, looking at him

"Good afternoon." Akashi greeted

"Akashi-kun. Good afternoon" Kuroko replied. "Why are you here, Akashi-kun? Don't you have practice?"

"No, we don't have practice today. Tetsuya, would you spare one or two hours of your time to chat with me?"

Kuroko seemed to consider Akashi's request. Considering the request was ridiculous in the first place, since Kuroko could never turn down his former captain, and even if he wanted to, it would be difficult.

"Yes. I don't have anything better to do at home anyway." Kuroko said, more to himself than to Akashi.

"Follow me then. I know a good cafe around here." Akashi said while leading Kuroko to the cafe. They got on the lift, and got off at the sixth floor. Akashi led Kuroko to a small cafe. It was not too crowded and had a nice and comforting atmosphere. They took a seat in the corner. A waiter came to take their order

"I'll have green tea. What will you like, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked while giving Kuroko the menu.

"Vanilla milkshake...vanilla milkshake" Kuroko unconsciously muttered while looking at the menu. His eyes brightened when he read the word 'Vanilla Milkshake' on the menu.

"I'll have vanilla milkshake" Kuroko said. The waiter nodded

"One green tea and vanilla milkshake, right?" Akashi nodded "Please wait a moment" The waiter said and left.

They spent a moment of silence together before Kuroko attempted to open up a conversation.

"So...What are you doing here, Akashi-kun?" he asked.

"Like I said earlier, Rakuzan doesn't have practice today" Akashi begun "So I came to Tokyo to meet my father's friend in his stead. When I was done I was surprised see a familiar teal-head walking inside this mall, proudly, without being noticed, even when he was only wearing a shirt and short pants" Akashi said while smiling slyly

"So you've seen me from the beginning..." Kuroko said with a sigh "Then...What do you like to talk to me about?" Kuroko asked. After he asked, the waiter came with their order. The waiter put their order on the table before he bowed and left again. Akashi took a sip from his green tea before answering Kuroko's question

"Then...can I be direct?" Akashi asked as he put down the cup in his hand

"Sure" Kuroko answered while taking a sip of his vanilla milkshake

"Then...Tetsuya, why are you skipping your basketball practice?" Akashi asked. Kuroko eyes widened at Akashi's question

"Seirin doesn't have any practice today" Kuroko lied smoothly

"Tetsuya...You're a good liar. You could lie to a thousand of people, without any fear about them knowing about it. But not to me, you can't lie to me, Tetsuya. What happened?" Akashi asked, not looking very comfortable

"Nothing, Akashi-kun. Nothing" Kuroko stubbornly replied

"Tetsuya...this is not a request. Tell me what happened" Akashi commanded. His voice was deeper than usual and his eyes clearly showed that he was not happy with Kuroko's stubbornness

"I...Nothing happened, Akashi-kun. Please don't pry too much into this. It's nothing big" Kuroko said

"The fact that you actually skipped practice and denied it is proof that something happened. And that 'something' is big if it could cause you to skip practice" Akashi stated the truth. Kuroko could only smile a strained smile while listening to Akashi

"I really can't lie to you, Akashi-kun" Kuroko whispered, which of course, does not go unnoticed by Akashi's sharp ear. "Alright, I give up. I'll tell you" Kuroko said while composing himself

"Then tell me" Akashi said. He gave Kuroko some time to compose himself and start talking about what happened

"Seirin...They are still angry about my actions at the winter cup" Kuroko started "Earlier, when I went to the gym, the gym was still empty, so I did my warm-up alone. The last item on the menu for my warm up was running, so I ran five laps outside the gym." Kuroko said. After catching his breath, he continued

"But when I came back, practice had already started without me, so I went to coach, Aida Riko-senpai. But before I reached her, about five to seven more steps to where she stood, I overheard her talking with Seirin's captain, Hyuuga-senpai. They were talking about..." Kuroko stop mid-sentence

"About?" Akashi asked

"About putting me on bench for the upcoming matches" Kuroko finished shakingly.

"What?" Akashi asked, anger briefly flashing over his usually stoic face

"They said that they are going to put me on the bench because Serin Team needs the other member to feel what it is like on the court. And because..." Kuroko paused "Kagami-kun and I cannot play well together anymore, because we didn't win at the Winter Cup, because we lost because of me" Kuroko said. His voice wavered and he start shaking

"Tetsuya, that's enough."

"It's been a long time, since I felt this feeling"

"I said enough, Tetsuya"

"This feeling of rejection"

"Tetsuya!" Akashi said, almost shouting at the smaller male

"A...Akashi-kun" Kuroko said, trembling. His cheek was wet, tears started to drip from his eyes "W...What should I do?" Kuroko said while wiping his tears, but his tears kept on flowing "I cannot stop these tears. What is wrong with me?" Kuroko asked between his soft sobs

"Tetsuya, let's get out from here" Akashi said. He left a bill on the table and grabbed Kuroko's wrist, dragging him out of the cafe, out of the mall and came to a stop at an empty park nearby. Akashi brought the still crying Kuroko to the bench there and just waited until Kuroko had calmed down

"Feeling better?" Akashi asked after Kuroko stop crying

"Y...Yes. I'm sorry, Akashi-kun" Kuroko said while wiping is eyes

"For what?"

"For suddenly crying inside that cafe without a reason"

"No. It should be me who apologize"

"Why?"

"I forced you to talk about it. Because you talked about it, it caused you to remember unhappy things. These memories caused you to become emotional, and you couldn't control your rarely-shown emotions" Akashi explained tentatively.

"Is...is that so?" Kuroko asked softly

"So the coach and captain of Seirin talked about putting you on the bench because of your actions in the Winter Cup, am I correct?" Akashi asked to clarify Kuroko's story

"Yes" Kuroko replied softly

"They don't deserve to have you, Tetsuya" Akashi said in a low tone, almost sounding like a growl. After a moment of contemplation, Akashi spoke up. "Tetsuya, transfer to Rakuzan"

"Eh? Rakuzan? Why?" Kuroko asked, clearly confused as to why his ex-captain want him to suddenly transfer to Rakuzan

"Seirin hurt you, and I cannot overlook that"

"But Akashi-kun, it's alright. They did say that I should be benched, but I'm sure it's probably just for a while"

"But are you not the one who said it yourself, that what they said made you feel rejected?" Akashi said. Again, stating the truth

"Well..."

"Tetsuya. You are going to transfer to Rakuzan"

"But..."

"You don't want to get hurt again right?"

"Still..."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Tetsuya. Transfer to Rakuzan, please" Akashi said, the sincere look on his face caused Kuroko to sway.

"Akashi-kun..." Kuroko's breath hitched. "How would you do that? It's not an easy time of the year to transfer..."

"That's not for you to worry about, leave the details to me" Akashi said simply.

"But it will be troublesome; I don't want to be a bother..." Kuroko protested, his gaze dropping.

"Tetsuya, who do you think I am? Do you doubt me?" Akashi asked, tipping Kuroko's chin upwards, forcing the younger teen to look at him.

"No..." Kuroko said, and stayed silent for a moment longer.

"Can I take your silence as confirmation then?" Akashi asked. Again Kuroko stayed silent. "Very good then" Akashi said, releasing Kuroko's chin from his firm grip. "Be sure to say your goodbyes before then. I'll be in touch." Akashi said before he turned and walked of, leaving the cold and confused Kuroko in his wake.

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**So?How is it?**


	3. Chapter 3 :A New Start

**New chapter! Finally...  
Thank you for all reviewer. the review really made me happy ^_^  
Beta'ed by Kerilu95**

**Enjoy!**

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_~ Chapter Three: A New Start ~_

The sound of birds chirping woke Kuroko up. The memory of the conversation with Akashi from two days ago immediately entered his mind. It made him aware of the fact that today was his last day in Tokyo. Kuroko took his phone and re-read the message he sent to Akashi the previous night.

_"__Good evening, Akashi-kun."_

_"__Good evening. What is it, Tetsuya?"_

_"__I decided. I want to move tomorrow and go to Rakuzan in two days."_

_"__Tomorrow? What about Seirin?"_

_"__I haven't told them, seeing as there's no need. Sooner or later they will find out about this. How is it going with the transfer forms?"_

_"__It's already done. I told you that you could leave the details to me. You can transfer anytime."_

_"__Then…tomorrow" _

_"__Tomorrow it is then. I will pick you up at 10 a.m. Make sure that you are ready"_

Kuroko got off from his bed slowly and put his cell phone on the bedside table. He picked up the framed picture of himself and Seirin in it. Looking at it deeply, he sighed and put the picture back on the table. He went to the bathroom and, taking a slight glance at the mirror, he noticed his awful and untamed bed hair, but he shrugged it off.

'Bathing would be faster to fix this hair'

After he was done bathing, Kuroko took his clothes from his bag. All of his things were already packed. Clothes went to the bag, books to the box, and the rest of Kuroko's things found its way to either his pocket or bag. He left his Seirin uniform, seeing as its unnecessary and he already had a new uniform to wear. Kuroko just left it folded neatly in his wardrobe.

Now, about the place to stay; since Kuroko didn't have any relative in Kyoto, Akashi, once again, offered Kuroko to stay at his house. He already consulted his parents about it last night, and of course, got permission.

Glancing at the clock, he realized that there's only an hour left before Akashi would come to pick him up. Kuroko immediately zipped his bag and went downstairs. His mother and father were already waiting for him so that they could have their last breakfast together. The table was full of food. It was just a simple, Japanese breakfast with the addition of their son's favorite vanilla milkshake.

They ate in silence. The sound of chopsticks hitting the ceramic bowls and plates was the only sound you could hear. Not even the weather forecast from the television in the living room could be heard; just a silent and long-lasting breakfast.

"Thank you for the food" Kuroko said once he was done.

"Tetsuya...Are you really leaving here?" Kuroko's mother, Kuroko Tetsuna, asked.

"Mother...We already had this conversation last night" Kuroko replied while gathering his dishes and taking it to the kitchen to wash it.

"But...I cannot let my only son live in place like Kyoto alone after all!" She argued.

"Mother...I'm not a kid anymore. I'm sixteen and I can manage myself." Kuroko retorted. "Besides, Akashi-kun will be there…" he added silently as an afterthought.

"Tetsuya, your mother's right. This sudden decision to transfer to the school there…aren't you happy in Seirin?" Kuroko's father, Kuroko Kazuya asked.

"I was happy father. I was happy and content in Seirin" Kuroko answered.

"So, you aren't happy anymore?"

"Yes. I'm not happy. That's why I chose to transfer to Rakuzan. Well...It is hard to explain"

"Okay then. If moving could make you happy, its fine…Just contact us often."

Knock...Knock...

"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt?" The voice came from the doorway. There stood Akashi Seijuuro, his hand poised to the door frame. He slowly made his way to the dining table and immediately bowed towards Kuroko's parents

"Good morning. Nice to meet you, I'm Akashi Seijuuro" Akashi said while bowing.

"Good morning. I have heard of you from our son. Please take care of Tetsuya during his stay at Kyoto." Kazuya said while, on reflex, bowing back to Akashi.

"Please don't bow to someone younger than you, Kazuya-san. Of course, I will take care of Tetsuya during his stay in my place. But I'm afraid that it's already time for us to leave. We have to ride the Shinkansen train in 30 minutes." Akashi explained.

"Oh, is that so? Off you go, Tetsuya. We will stay in contact with you." Tetsuna said. "Use your phone. I installed a GPS and a map of Kyoto so that you won't get lost." She added while hugging Kuroko.

"Thank you, Mother" Kuroko then bowed to his father and mother and followed Akashi to the door.

Outside Akashi's car was already waiting for them. They got in and the car started to move in the direction of the train station.

"You're not telling your mother and father why you are moving to Kyoto? Akashi asked, opening a conversation

"Yeah, I don't want to make them worried"

"They're already worried about you. Your sudden decision to move must have surprised them"

"It's alright. The sooner I move the better."

"Then let me tell you about Rakuzan first so that you won't be clueless when you arrive"

"Sure"

"Rakuzan is like Teikou; the school, the teachers, the program and the gym. So I think that you should get used easily." Akashi explained.

"It's a replica of Teikou?"

"Kind of, but it's just better. We have arrived. Let's go" Akashi announced and both of them got out of the car.

They waited at the station for ten minutes before they finally boarded the train. They mainly just read books or ate in the train. Sometimes Akashi would catch Kuroko looking out the window nostalgically. Kuroko's mind had wandered to Seirin, his family, and Seirin again. How would they react to the news that he has transferred? Those thoughts caused Kuroko to feel uneasy. Kuroko quickly shook his head, and tried to forget those thoughts by distracting himself.

After about three hours they arrived at the Kyoto station and, once again, Akashi's car was already waiting for them. They climbed into it and the car started to move towards Akashi's house. After a trip that seemingly felt like hours, they finally reached their destination; Akashi's family house. The house was a Japanese style manor. Akashi led Kuroko to his room, while his things were being brought in by Akashi's maid and butler.

'I should have expected this kind of house from Akashi-kun' Kuroko thought

"This is your room. If you have anything to ask, you can come to my room. My room is beside yours so you don't have to search it. For now, just unpack your things." Akashi said.

Akashi walked away and down the hall. Kuroko eyed his room. The room was very big, in Kuroko's opinion. The tatami-based floor was clean, with no dust on it. In the middle, there was a small round brown table and surrounding it there were four cushions. In the far left, there was another door that connected his room to the garden

The wall was painted in white and brown. There was also a katana for decoration. Near the door to the garden, there was brown closet, the same color as the table. Inside the closet there was a rolled up futon and a few neatly-folded kimonos. But all of those things didn't even make the room full instead, the room looked big because there was still a lot of empty space left.

Kuroko POV

'Will Kagami-kun be mad at me because I'm secretly leaving?' Kuroko wondered 'what am I thinking about?! I already decided that I would transfer to Rakuzan without telling them, so there's no use lamenting over it!'

I took a deep breath and looked around the big room. My belongings didn't even fill half the room. Looking at the remaining boxes, I realized that it only contained books

'I think I should start unpacking those books. Maybe read one or two of them to distract me from my uneasiness.'

I opened one box and took out the books inside. But, when I took another look around the room, I realized that there wasn't any shelf. So I put the books on the table and started walking towards Akashi-kun's room.

Knock...Knock

"Come in"

"Akashi-kun, I'm sorry to bother you" I apologized seeing that Akashi-kun was in the middle of writing something with countless books stacked in front of him.

"No, it's alright. What is it?" Akashi-kun asked.

"Well...I don't know where to put my books since there aren't any shelves in my room"

"Ah...I already ordered it yesterday, but it's seems that the shelf hasn't arrived yet. You can unpack your books tomorrow. If you want to read, I will show you the way to my library" Akashi-kun offered.

"Thank you that would help a lot" I said, accepting Akashi-kun's offer.

"Follow me then" Akashi-kun said in a commanding tone while walking. I just followed silently after Akashi-kun. On our way to the library, Akashi-kun also showed me the other rooms, like the bathroom and the kitchen.

The library was spacious, and it felt refreshing when I could smell the scent of paper in the air. I immediately stepped inside and started to look at every shelf while scanning every book title there. When I took a glance at Akashi-kun, he had an amused look on his face because of a reason I didn't know. I just shrugged it off and continued to look at the different shelves.

"Akashi-kun's collection of books is amazing. There are some books I cannot even find in the public library" I said while touching one of the book's cover.

"Thank you. If you like, you can take some and read it in your room if you don't want to read it here" Akashi-kun offered once again. Knowing that I could read these books, my eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

"Is that so? Then I will take some" I said in the usual plain tone, but I don't think that it managed to hide my happiness because Akashi-kun looked even more amused than before. I could feel my cheek heating up because of his stare. Regaining my composure, I immediately took about five to seven books that I didn't know. I walked back to Akashi-kun's side after finishing.

"Done? Then, let's go back" Akashi-kun said again in a commanding tone. I only nodded as I, just like before silently followed Akashi-kun. Before I realized it, we were already in front of our rooms. After saying another thank you, I entered my room. I put all of the books I took on the table.

I immediately sat on one of the four cushions surrounding the round table, took one book and began reading it. Suddenly all my uneasiness from leaving Seirin began to surface again. I tried to focus on the new book in my hands, but it was no use.

_'__I wonder how the Seirin Team is doing without me…'_

I flip a page

_'__I think the teacher will announce my transfer tomorrow'_

I flip the second page

_'__Will they be sad?'_

_'__Will they be angry?'_

_'__Will they be happy?'_

I took a deep breath and exhaled, took another deep breath and exhaled. Once again, I tried to focus all my senses on the book in front me. Reading every word carefully, I finally managed to fully focus on the book and blocked out all the uneasiness. But again, it was short lived (in my thoughts) as the thing I feared the most popping out from the back of my mind.

_'__Or, would they just take the news as a mere passing wind and start to forget that I was once there, playing with them?'_

In the end, I found myself thinking about all Seirin's possible reactions towards the news of my transferring to Rakuzan. My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a faint knocking, along with a sound of the door sliding open. Akashi-kun stood in the doorway, making my once-filled-with-Seirin thoughts scattering.

**Normal POV**

"Sorry to disturb you but it's already time for dinner" Akashi started "There were maids, three to be precise, who called you over and got no response. They were worried something happened to you, but they didn't dare to open the door. So, they told me." Akashi explained simply.

"Ah...Is that so? I'm sorry, Akashi-kun. This book is really interesting, so without me realizing it, I must have put all of my concentration into this book" Kuroko tried to lie as he stood up.

"Tetsuya...You already know that you cannot lie to me. You are not the kind of person who would ignore other people knocking on your door while reading, no matter how good the book is. There's something else bothering you. Tell me" Akashi ordered.

"It's nothing, Akashi-kun."

"Tetsuya, do we really need to go through this again?"

"If it could convince Akashi-kun"

"No. Tell me right now"

"It's nothing. Please believe me"

"You're thinking about Seirin" Akashi guessed, and he knows he's right, because Kuroko responded to the word Seirin and he let his emotion surface. "I'm right."

Kuroko was silent for a moment before answering.

"I'm sorry for lying, Akashi-kun. I'm just...thinking about how they would react to the news of me transferring, that's all"

"I believe you. I won't inquire any further" Akashi stayed silent for a moment before continuing "It's just the first day so you should take it easy. Let's go. I won't let you skip dinner"

"Yes. Thank you, Akashi-kun" Kuroko said as he followed Akashi. They arrived at the dining room, where the table was full of food. There was rice, a main dish, side dishes; all served just like in the five star restaurant Kuroko once saw on the television.

Kuroko took the seat across from Akashi and started eating. Ten minutes had passed and Akashi was done with his food, while Kuroko hadn't even finished half of his food. Another 10 minutes passed and Kuroko finally gave up on eating all of the food. Akashi just looked at him with a stern face.

"A...Akashi-kun, can I stop? I feel like my stomach's gonna burst" Kuroko said in a quiet voice, but loud enough for Akashi to hear.

"Fine, but I'm going to increase your appetite, though" Akashi said more to himself, than to Kuroko. "You can take a shower before you go to bed, or head to bed immediately. Tomorrow you will go to Rakuzan with me, so try and have a good night's sleep"

"Ah...I think I will take a light shower before going to bed. Thank you, I will try to have a good night's rest" Kuroko said as he bowed towards Akashi.

They exited the dining room and headed to their respective rooms. Kuroko immediately took his towel and headed to the bathroom. He took a shower for five minutes and dried his hair. He then proceeded to prepare his futon, and when he was done Kuroko turned off the lamp. He climbed into the futon and closed his eyes.

'For now, I should forget about Seirin and have a good sleep like Akashi-kun told me. Tomorrow is my first day at Rakuzan. I wonder how well I will fit in there.'

* * *

**So? What did you think about this chapter? good?bad?**


	4. Chapter 4 :Nightmare

**Fast update! But right now I still haven't write even one word for chapter 5. and I'm in my sister's house for vacation. So I think I won't update for quite a while. But who knows? maybe I could write while on my sister's house. anyway, enjoy!  
**

* * *

_~ Chapter four: Nightmare~_

Knock...Knock.

"Are you ready, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked.

"Yes. You can come in, Akashi-kun" Kuroko said and immediately afterwards Akashi entered Kuroko's room. In the middle of the room, there stood Kuroko Tetsuya, wearing the complete Rakuzan uniform. Kuroko walked towards Akashi who was waiting for him in the doorway.

"Thank you for waiting, Akashi-kun. Let's go" Kuroko said. Akashi just nodded and they proceeded to Akashi's car that was already waiting for them. Kuroko and Akashi entered the car and it started to move towards Rakuzan High School.

"Tetsuya, you're going to be put in class 2-A. That's the same class as me." Akashi said, opening a conversation "After arriving, we're going to the Principal's office and then the faculty room. After that, the homeroom teacher will introduce you to the class members. At break, I'm going to show you around, and after the last period, I will introduce you to the members of the basketball club"

"Okay" Kuroko answered simply.

"Also, the distance between the school and the house isn't that far. Usually I come to school by foot. But since it's your first day, we're taking the car. But tomorrow we will walk to school since it also serves as exercise"

"I'm fine with walking though"

"Is that so? That's good then. We have arrived. Let's go" Akashi said while opening the car's door. The school was not crowded, it was actually quite empty since Akashi and Kuroko arrived earlier because they took the car.

Kuroko and Akashi began to walk towards the third floor, where the Principal's Office was located. The school was so big that it took quite some time walking there, but since they weren't rushing it didn't bother them. When they arrived at the Principal's Office, the Principal greeted them. Kuroko immediately introduced himself, and for once, the Principal wasn't surprised when he saw Kuroko suddenly appear.

After reading and signing some papers, Kuroko and Akashi proceeded to the Faculty Room. By this time, the school was already packed since there was only 10 minutes left before the bell would rang. They entered the Office and Akashi led Kuroko to a table in the corner where an aged man was sitting and chatting with a woman beside him. Akashi immediately approached the said men.

"Good morning, Sensei" Akashi greeted. The man looked at Akashi and smiled.

"Good morning, Akashi. What can I do for you?" Sensei asked.

"He's the transfer student who transferred to our class" Akashi said while holding Kuroko's hand and guiding him to stand in front of the teacher.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Kuroko Tetsuya" Kuroko introduced himself.

"I'm the homeroom teacher for class 2-A, Suzuki. Nice to meet you" The man, Suzuki, said, also introducing himself to Kuroko.

"I will introduce you to the class when homeroom starts in 10 minutes. For now, please stay here. Akashi, you can go back to the class" Suzuki said.

"I leave Tetsuya in your capable hands, Suzuki-sensei. I'll see you in class, Tetsuya" Akashi said.

"See you later, Akashi-kun"

After Akashi left Kuroko, Kuroko spent the following 10 minutes reading. He brought the book that he didn't finish the previous day to school. As he continued to read, once again the thoughts of Seirin came haunting him back.

**Kuroko POV**

I flipped a page of the book I was reading. Suddenly thoughts of the Seirin team caused me to start worrying again. It made me feel uneasy and unsafe in Kyoto.

_'__I wonder if Seirin already know about me transferring'_

_'__Will they be disappointed?'_

_'__Or will they rejoice at the news that I transferred'_

_'__Stop! I cannot always think about Seirin's reaction!'_

"...Ko? Kuroko, it's time for the homeroom" I heard a voice say. I looked at where the voice came from and saw Suzuki-sensei calling for me while patting my shoulder softly.

"Ah...I'm sorry, Suzuki-sensei. Yes, of course. I'm ready" I said. The thoughts about Seirin still distracted me but I couldn't shake it off.

_'__I cannot keep going on like this'_

_'__If I keep on like this, I would cause__**[i]**__ trouble for Akashi-kun'_

Without me realizing it, I was already in front of a door. The sign said 2-A.

_'__This is my class.'_

"Kuroko, please wait in here. After I say come in, you can come in" Suzuki-sensei said. I just nodded and Suzuki-sensei entered the classroom. The chattered noise from inside the classroom began to fade until it fully disappeared into silence. I could hear Suzuki-sensei talking from inside the classroom, though I couldn't make out the words clearly. I heard Suzuki-sensei calling me, saying "Come in". I immediately opened the door and proceeded to walk to where Suzuki-sensei stood.

**Normal POV**

"Hey hey...who is this transfer student?" One student asked the person on his left.

"I don't know. We will know when the person enters the classroom"

"Hey, just now, I think the door opened"

"Really? But I'm not seeing anyone. Maybe it's your imagination"

"No, I'm not lying! But it's weird; the transfer student still hasn't showed up. Do you think this person is late or something?"

"Um...I'm right here" Kuroko said to the two people in the front row.

"Woah! Where did you come from?" One of them shouted on reflex, drawing the attention of all of the other students in the class to the phantom man in front of them

"Alright, silence please" Suzuki said while clapping his hands, acquiring the focus of all the students in the class.

"This is the transfer student. Introduce yourself." Suzuki said again.

"My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. I transferred here from Tokyo. Nice to meet you and I hope we can get along" Kuroko said.

"You can sit in the back near window" Suzuki said while pointing at the one empty seat in the back. Kuroko walked to his seat and sat down. Suzuki nodded and began to take attendance.

* * *

RIIINNNGGGGGG

The bell rang loudly, signaling that it was break time. Kuroko heard a couple of people sigh out of relief as the math teacher in front of them say that the day's lesson was done. After the teacher walked away from the class, two males approached Kuroko.

"Kuroko, I'm sorry about what I said before" One of them said

"What did you say?" Kuroko asked, not understanding the male's words

"It's what he said this morning; about you being late and he screamed when he realized that you were right in front of him all that time" The other answered Kuroko's question.

"It's alright. I'm already used to it" Kuroko said.

"That's good then. Hey, hey...You haven't picked any club yet right? How about joining us in the broadcasting club?"

"Yeah, let's go!" One of them said again and began pulling Kuroko's hand when suddenly Kuroko was pulled to the other side, not by those two but by a certain captain of the basketball club.

"You're not taking Tetsuya anywhere. He's going to join my basketball club, it has already been decided" Akashi said. The two immediately froze and just nodded at every word Akashi said

"I...Is that so? Then, we will take our leave here. S...See you later, Kuroko!" The two said and immediately ran out of the classroom.

"You don't have to scare them like that, Akashi-kun. I can tell them myself that I already chose the basketball club." Kuroko said.

"It's just a precaution. Let's go. I still have some places to show you" Akashi said while taking Kuroko's hand and leaving the classroom. Kuroko just let Akashi drag him and show him around until break time was over.

* * *

Kuroko and Akashi walked together to the exit of the school building. After changing their shoes in the locker room, they walked towards the gym. When Akashi and Kuroko arrived, the gym was still empty, probably because the other members still weren't done with their class or was taking their time walking to the gym.

Kuroko and Akashi changed their clothes and waited patiently for the others on the bench. Akashi was deciding on their training regime for the day while Kuroko just looked at the clipboard where all of the players' strengths and weakness was written dutifully by none other than Akashi. After all, Kuroko's specialty was observing other people, and that also included knowing a player's strengths and weaknesses.

One by one, the members of basketball club arrived. After all the members had shown up, Akashi immediately got their attention by commanding them all to gather.

"I want to introduce the new member to you all" Akashi said. Murmurs from all the basketball club members, those from the first and the third string, filled the gym. Akashi cleared his throat and began talking again.

"The new member just transferred here today and I'm sure some of you had met or know him from before. Especially the starters" Akashi said, making all the members more curious as to who the new member of the team is.

"Where is he, Sei-chan? I want to see him!" A male with long black hair asked.

"He's already here" Akashi answered with a sigh.

"Here?"

"Here" Akashi pointed to his left side. Their eyes darted to their captain's left side and they were surprised when they saw a blue haired male sitting while holding a clipboard. Kuroko shifted his gaze from the paper attached to the clipboard and looked at the people who were looking at him.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you" Kuroko said, standing and bowing towards all of them.

"Oh I didn't see you there! Kuroko Tetsuya, eh?" Another person with orange hair and a snaggle tooth in the corner of his left mouth asked.

"Yes. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. Is there something wrong?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya, where have I heard that name before?"

"Tetsuya was my teammate in Teikou and was a member of the Seirin basketball club before he transferred here." Akashi explained.

"Ah! I remember! We played against you in the Winter Cup!"

"Yes"

"But weren't you apart of Seirin? Why are you here?"

"I don't care! He's so cute!" The black haired male tried to hug Kuroko, but he stumbled over the bench because Akashi suddenly pulled Kuroko to the side.

"Don't touch him, Reo" Akashi ordered threateningly.

"Yes sir!" Reo immediately replied, frightened.

"Tetsuya is going to be placed in the first string and is going to join us as one of the starters. That's all. Dismissed!" Akashi announced. All the members immediately left to start doing some warm-ups, leaving Akashi and Kuroko with three tall males.

"I'm Hayama Koutarou, third year and starter. It's nice to meet you!" The first, an orange haired male, said while smiling.

"Eikichi Nebuya" A male with dark skin said.

"Ah and I'm Mibuchi Reo. A third year and starter, as you might already know from our match in Winter Cup. I hope we can get along, Tetsu-chan!" The long black haired male introduced himself.

"Tetsu-chan?" Kuroko asked.

"Yes! You're cute like Sei-chan, so I will call you Tetsu-chan!"

"Please stop that."

"No way…"

With that they also went and started to do their warm-ups. Kuroko and Akashi did warm-ups together while Akashi announced the training menu for the day. Kuroko spent the rest of his afternoon drenched in sweat, despite Akashi having made the training menu lighter so that Kuroko wouldn't faint.

Akashi's driver picked them up, and they drove home. The ride was spent in silence as Akashi and Kuroko were both too tired to start a conversation. They arrived at Akashi's house and the two of them immediately entered their own rooms. Kuroko went to lie on the tatami mat, not bothering to prepare his futon as he was too tired to do so.

**Kuroko POV**

I lie on the tatami mat. It was hard but I didn't have enough energy to prepare my futon. I took a glance at the clock atop the drawer.

5:18

As I looked up at the ceiling, I noticed a brown shelf in the corner. I remembered Akashi-kun saying that the shelf would came today. I looked back at the ceiling again and closed my eyes. I felt very tired. A short nap before dinner wouldn't hurt.

_I open my eyes and found myself in the middle of an ongoing class._

_But this class seems different than the 2-A I entered this morning._

_I looked in front of me and recognized the back of a person I know very well._

_Kagami-kun..._

_"__Why am I attending class in Seirin?" I asked out loud. But no one seems to have heard me._

_My vision went blank._

_The next time I came to I found myself in the gym, looking at the senpai's playing against each other. Coach Riko on the side looked at them calculatingly. Soon, Kagami-kun arrived with the others and they started to play against each other._

_They were happy._

_They were laughing._

_But I was not there with them._

_They were glad that I'm not there anymore._

_They were happy without me there._

_It was as if I never existed even existed there._

_It was-_

"Ya...Tsuya..." I felt someone shake my body, along with a voice that sounded desperate.

"Etsuya...Tetsuya" I heard him more clearly. I opened my eyes and saw Akashi-kun beside me.

"A...Akashi-kun" My voice was hoarse and my throat dry. My eyes were blurry and I couldn't see anything clearly.

**Normal POV**

"Tetsuya, you've been crying in your sleep. Why?" Akashi asked while wiping away the tears that were streaming down Kuroko's cheeks.

"Eh?" Kuroko said while touching his cheek. "I...It's nothing, probably just because I'm sleepy" Kuroko said while wiping his eyes.

"Nightmare?"

"I...It wasn't exactly a nightmare…just…a dream about Seirin. But it's nothing, really"

"Tell me what happened in the dream"

"No"

"It's bothering you"

"No"

"Why are you so stubborn Tetsuya? Why can't you just tell me what's bothering you? You can share your problem with me. Or don't you trust me?"

"No!" Kuroko said immediately "I trust you! It's because...I just don't want to cause trouble for you. This is my problem after all" Kuroko said, looking away.

"Tetsuya...Look at me." Akashi ordered. Kuroko hesitantly looked at Akashi's eyes. "If I thought of you as troublesome, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to convince you to transfer to Rakuzan. You are neither a burden nor a trouble. You can never be trouble for me." Akashi said.

"Akashi-kun..."

"It's haunting you; the thoughts about Seirin, right? Don't hide your feelings; just share them with me instead."

"I understand" Kuroko said, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted, but his expression remained the same. "I dreamt about Seirin. I was in class, sitting behind Kagami-kun like before, but Kagami-kun didn't notice me. Then, I saw the gym. I saw all of them playing, with smiles plastered all over their faces. Yet they didn't realize that I wasn't there. I...the feeling of rejection returned" Kuroko said meekly.

"I take it that you're thinking that after they heard you transferred to Rakuzan, one of their reactions was to forget about you completely"

"Yes. I cannot help but think about all of the possible reactions Seirin could have after hearing that I transferred.

"If that's the case...Wait here. I'll be back soon" Akashi said. He got up and left the room, only to come back after two minutes with a box in his hands.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here, for you" Akashi said while giving Kuroko the box he was holding. It was a small brown box.

"Thank you. Can I open it?" Kuroko asked. Akashi just nodded and Kuroko opened the box. Inside the box there were numerous candles.

"It smells like vanilla" Kuroko commented.

"It's scented candles." Akashi said while taking one candle and lit it. The fragrance of sweet vanilla immediately filled the room. "It will help you relax even if it's just for a while. I use that a lot to help me relax. It won't solve your problems, but I'm sure that this can make you feel more comfortable" Akashi explained.

"Thank you Akashi-kun, this is indeed relaxing" Kuroko said.

"Good then. Enjoy yourself here; I will come back in 30 minutes to call you for dinner." Akashi said and left immediately to go do something. He left Kuroko to enjoy the sweet scent while read his book.

Time flew by fast, and soon Akashi returned to call Kuroko for dinner. A repeat of the previous day's dinner happened. Kuroko still couldn't eat all of his food, and Akashi kept watching him eating at a very slow pace. Akashi told Kuroko to at least finish the fruits, which Kuroko did.

Like before, Kuroko took a light shower before going to bed. But this time, Kuroko slept more peacefully. Every time Kuroko would think about Seirin, the red of the flame entered his thoughts instead, causing him to relax.

* * *

**Tell me what you think please?**


	5. Chapter 5 :A Good News? Or A Bad News?

**Sorry for the late update. Here you go! Chapter five of In Rakuzan.  
Beta'ed by Kerilu95  
Enjoy!  
**

* * *

~Chapter_ 5 : A Good News? Or A Bad News?_

"Every one, good job. You guys are dissmissed for today." Akashi annoucned to all Basketball Club's first string members. A sigh of relief could be heard as all the members walked towards the changing room.

"Tetsu-chan~" called a fammiliar black haired male.

"What is it, Mibuchi-senpai?" Kuroko asked as he stopped and faced his senpai.

"I was wondering if you could come with us for something to eat" Mibuchi said while clasping his hands, smiling widely.

"Us?"

"Ah...that means me, Hayama, and Nebuya" Mibuchi explained.

"Hmm...I would love to, but I think you have to tell Akashi-kun first." Kuroko said while he took a glance at his captain who was in the middle of talking with their coach.

"Sei-chan? Why?" Mibuchi asked.

"Ah...I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but right now, Akashi and I are living together" Kuroko said while bowing.

"EHH? LIVING TOGETHER?" Mibuchi exclaimed in a high pitched voice, gaining the attention of all the members who were on their way to change their clothes in the changing room.

"Reo, don't shout in the gym." Akashi scolded while walking towards Kuroko and Mibuchi.

"Eh...I'm sorry." Mibuchi said while he looked at the people who were looking at him

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko said in a soft tone.

"What is it?" Akashi asked.

"Mibuchi-senpai, along with Hayama-senpai and Nebuya-senpai invited me for dinner and I would very much like to go with them. Is it alright with you?"

"Hmm..."

"A...Ah...Sei-chan. If you want to, you can also come with us. We're planning to ask you to join us anyway." Reo said. Akashi seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding.

"Okay. I will come with you all" Akashi stated. Mibuchi smiled very brightly and ran towards Nebuya and Hayama, leaving Akashi and Kuroko alone.

"Akashi-kun, thank you" Kuroko said while bowing towards the taller male.

"It's alright. I'm sure you're bound to be bored by always having dinner at home." Akashi said. Kuroko smiled a little at him before both of them proceeded by changing their clothes.

* * *

"I...Don't really think that that was a good idea." Kuroko said as he looked towards a group of people who just ran away.

It all started when the restaurant Mibuchi picked turned out to be full. They waited for thirty minutes with empty stomachs, until one of the table is cleaned. Unexpectedly, there was another group who had waited for the table too. Driven by his hunger, Nebuya lashed at them while threatening them. Seeing his tall body and black skin, they ran away while screaming 'I'm sorry'.

"Let them be. It's not that unusual for Eikichi." Akashi said while sighing. Mibuchi then called the waitress and ordered some food for them. Not too long after, the food came. They finished the food in 15 minutes. Except for Nebuya since he kept on ordering more and more food for himself.

"Another bowl of chicken cutlet with rice, and yakisoba" Nebuya ordered for the fifteenth time. The waitress only looked at him with surprised eyes while writing down his order. The waitress left, only to came back with a tray of his order a few minutes later. Nebuya ate it and in no more than 5 minutes, he was done.

"Nebuya, stop eating" Mibuchi said. Nebuya just give him a confused look before calling the waitress for more food. They ended up waiting another 30 minutes for Nebuya to finish, before he said that he's full.

Mibuchi scolded Nebuya all over on their way home, saying that he should behave and not let somebody else wait for him. Nebuya himself didn't care, and just let Mibuchi ramble on. Hayama only look at them, sometimes telling Nebuya to at least hear what Mibuchi had to say. Akashi and Kuroko, who was walking at the back, just looked at them. A small smile plastered Kuroko's face while he looked at them.

"Like looking at a mother scloding her 6 year old chick..." Kuroko commented.

"There you have it; a mother hen and a 6 year old chick for our upperclassmen." Akashi said, also smiling.

"Sei-chan, Tetsu-chan!" Mibuchi called. "What are you guys talking about?. You guys are smiling" He asked playfully.

"Talking about a mother hen and a six years old chick." Kuroko answered.

"Huh? Why are you talking about that?" Mibuchi asked again.

"..." Kuroko looked at Akashi, who also looked at bKuroko, before both of them smiled. "Because Mibuchi-senpai and Nebuya-senpai look like a mother hen and a six years old chick" Kuroko answered.

"Yeah! Those two always looked like that!" Hayama added. Mibuchi and Nebuya looked at each other before laughing. Hayama, Akashi, and Kuroko only looked at them before laughing too. They stayed that way for a minute, before parting ways.

* * *

"Tetsuya" Akashi called. It's one week after the dinner with Mibuchi, Nebuya and Hayama. They're in the dining room, and Kuroko just finished his dinner.

"Yes. What is it?"

"I know it's been just a week since you transferred here, but I have a bad news, for you"

"For me? It's not a bad news to Akashi-kun?"

"Well...It's actually good news for Rakuzan. For the school itself and the basketball team"

"What is the news?"

"A certain international sports magazine wants to interview us" Akashi said. looking directly at Kuroko's eyes.

"It's a good news then."

"But...They want to interview us, with another school. They want to interview Seirin, along with us." Akashi explained. Kuroko's breath hitched, his eyes widening.

"Seirin?" Kuroko asked.

"Yes. All the members of the Rakuzan Basketball Team first string need to be there. And of course, Tetsuya is included since you've become one of the starters. Is that alright?"

"I didn't tell Seirin where I transferred to, so I'm guessing that they still don't know that right now I'm in Kyoto with you, Akashi-kun. It's alright." Kuroko said "I also want to know their reaction towards the news that I moved" Kuroko added

"Then, you should prepare. The interview is tomorrow" Akashi said.

"Tomorrow? Why so suddenly?"

"Rakuzan's principal decided the date. Seirin will come to Rakuzan, and the interview is in the library, after school"

"Hmm...The faster the better. Thank you for telling me, Akashi-kun. Did you already tell Mibuchi-senpai, Hayama-senpai and Nebuya-senpai?"

"No need. They will come if I ordered them"

"Just like Akashi-kun." Kuroko said while smiling, before nodding. "I understand. I will prepare for tomorrow. Good night, Akashi-kun" Kuroko said.

"Good night"

* * *

BEEP!

_One New Messege!_

_From :Akashi Seijurou_

_Sub :-none-_

_Be sure to come to the library after school tomorrow. Don't be late_

* * *

"Then...Sei-chan told all the starter members to come here?" Mibuchi asked to Hayama who sat beside him.

"I think so." Hayama answered before yawning

"Then, why is the person who called us not here yet?" Nebuya asked.

"Sei-chan and Tetsu-chan's class have a meeting. It's probably about the cultural festival in three months" Mibuchi answered.

"Cultural festival huh?" Hayama said, then sighed "We can't participate anymore. Time flies so fast"

"Hayama, you sound like my grandfather" Nebuya commented. Hayama just frowned, then furrowed his eyebrows. He heard a murmur from outside the library.

"Hey...It's awfully noisy outside" Hayama said.

"Really?" Mibuchi asked while trying to hear the outside noise. "Now that you mention it, it does seems noisy outside" Mibuchi said. Right after he said that, all of them heard the door slide open, and immediately darted their eyes to the doorway, revealing a group of familliar faces walk into the library.

"Seirin basketball team?" Mibuchi asked, so loud that all the people inside the library could hear him.

"Yo!" Kagami said while putting his bag on one of the empty chairs.

"Why is Seirin here?" Hayama asked.

"What? You didn't know?" Hyuuga asked back.

"We have interview with you all. The starters from Seirin and Rakuzan are going to be interviewed together" Hyuuga answered.

"I don't see Akashi and the other phantom man" Kagami commented after looking around

"His class is having a meeting" Mibuchi said.

"And the phantom?" Kagami asked.

"He had already graduated." Mibuchi answered. The room was silent for some time, until they heard the sound of the door sliding open. This time, revealing Akashi.

"I'm sorry for being late. The meeting ran longer than we expected." Akashi said as he took a seat beside Hayama.

"That leaves for one more starter from Rakuzan and the interviewer" Hyuuga said while looking around.

"I think the starter you're talking about is me" Kuroko suddenly said from beside Akashi.

"Eh?" All of Seirin starters stared wide eyed

"KUROKO!?"

* * *

**Hahahaha...There you go, a cliffhanger. Review?**


	6. Chapter 6 :Reaction

**This chapter is in Kuroko POV  
Beta'ed by Kerilu95  
This chapter is also inspired by Hachikonohime's review~. Many thanks to who had reviewed, favorited, and followed this story!  
**

_~Chapter Six : Reaction~_

_"__That's all for today's meeting. Don't forget that we have another meeting tomorrow. Dismissed!" Suzuki-sensei said at last. All of the class members packed their things and began to walk out of the classroom._

_"__Tetsuya, let's go. We're already late" Akashi-kun said. I took a glance at the wall clock in the class. Akashi-kun's right. We're already ten minutes late. I immediately packed all my things, before nodding and walking with Akashi to the library._

_ "__Tetsuya, you're really alright with having an interview with Seirin, right?" Akashi-kun asked. The hint of worry in his tone made me smiled a little._

_"__It's alright. Besides, I have you and the other members of theRakuzan basketball team right?" I answered. Akashi-kun looked a little surprised before smiling a geunine smile._

_"__Yes. I'm sorry for asking. I'm a little worried, since you have just begun your life here in Kyoto" Akashi-kun said. After that, both of us spent the entire walk in silence, until we arrived at the library. Akashi-kun slid the door open, causing all of the library occupanats to direct their gaze at us._

_"__I'm sorry for being late. The meeting ran longer than we expected" Akashi-kun said as he took a seat beside Hayama-senpai. I took a seat beside Akashi-kun without saying anything.. _

_As expected, the Seirin team had already arrived. I saw that Furihata-kun sat between Kagami-kun and Hyuuga-senpai. Coach...Aida-senpai sat at the end of the table, beside Izuki-senpai._

_"__That leaves for one more starter from Rakuzan and the interviewer" Hyuuga-senpai said while looking around. I sighed. _

_'__They didn't even realize that I'm here'_

_Mibuchi-senpai took a worried glance at me, which I answered with a small smile. I turned back to my usual poker face, before announcing my presence, which the Seirin team didn't seem to realize._

_"__I think the starter you're talking about is me" I said. All of the Seirin members directed their gaze to me, when they realize that I'm here, sitting beside Akashi-kun._

_"__Eh?" All of Seirin member commented while still staring at me._

_"__KUROKO!?" They all said in unison, almost shouted._

"Yes, what is it?" I asked. not even affected by Seirin's reaction. Their reaction was not that far off from my calculation.

_'__It would have actually been weird if you guys were not surprised' _

"The reaction is within your calculation, I believe" Akashi-kun said quietly, but loud enough so that I could hear him. Akashi-kun then took today's assigment papers and started doing it. Again, I just smiled at him.

"W...Why are you here?" Kagami-kun asked in a mix of a surprised and a scared tone. He seemed hesitant to talk to me.

"I transfered here." I answered.

"Transfered? When?" Kagami-kun asked again, seemingly not convinced.

"A week ago. Why do you ask? Didn't our homeroom teacher anounce it?" I asked back.

"Announcement a week ago? Now that you mention it, I remember that teacher said something about a student transferring" Kagami-kun said. Again, I just sighed.

_'__And here I was hoping that at least you would have knew that it was me who transferred'_

" Now that I think about it, It's been a long time since both of us had a decent conversation, dince you always avoided me after the Winter Cup" I commented.

"W...Wha!? Avoided? I never did such a thing!" Kagami-kun argued.

"Maybe"

"And why did you transfer?" He asked. "Ha! I'm sure you just wanted to go to the winning and stonger team. It's actually your fault that we couldn't win the Winter Cup, you traitor!" He shouted.

_'__They're still blaming me for the Winter Cup?'_

_'__Traitor? Is that what I look like in their eyes?'_

I hung my head low and took a deep breath. I felt a firm hand gripping my own. I glanced at my side, and looked at Akashi-kun who was gripping my hands even tighter; so tight that it started to hurt. I smiled at him and took another deep breath. Suddenly, I felt a terrible pain in my head.

"Enough with your nonesense, Kagami Taiga" Mibuchi-senpai suddenly said. I lifted my head and looked towards him. Mibuchi-senpai looked very angry and I could sense his anger, Hayama-senpai and Nebuya-senpai's too.

"What do you know about the reason Kuroko-kun transferred here?" Hayama-senpai asked.

"Though we have only known Tetsu-chan for a week, I could say for sure that he wouldn't choose to transfer because of that kind of reason." Mibuchi-senpai said again.

"Kuroko is a strong person. He give another person's feelings higher priority than his own. He has been in your team for a year, and you didn't know about it? Lame..." Nebuya-senpai said. Though the lame thing was a little too much.

_'__Aahh...I cannot contain my smile'_

_'__They stood up for me' _

"There you have it" Akashi-kun said while putting the assignment papers back in the bag. A smug smirk adorned his face. "Tetsuya didn't transfer here because of that kind of reason. And Kagami Taiga," Akashi-kun stopped, and glared at Kagami-kun "calling Tetsuya a traitor is too much. If you want to call someone a traitor, how about you go and call all of the Seirin members traitors?"

"Seirin members are the traitors?"

"Thank you for waiting, Seirin and Rakuzan team mem...bers? I'm sorry, did I interupt?" A man, possibly the interviewer, asked.

"And you are?" Akashi-kun asked.

"Shunnosuke Kana. Assistant interviewer. We're ready for the interview, so please come to this side of library" He answered, while showing to another side of library.

"When did you get in?" Mibuchi-senpai asked.

"Just a few minutes ago. I entered through another door though." Shunnosuke-san answered.

"Another door? The one that connects the library with Teacher's Lounge?" Hayama-senpai asked.

"Yes. That one" The rest is blur since I felt a terrible pain in my head again. I tried to ignore the pain as we continued walking. Focusing more on the new person standing in front of us.

The interview went smoothly. The interviewer, a woman who goes by the name Suzu Asuka, mostly asked all of us about our daily lives outside of basketball. She didn't notice my presence until she realized that Rakuzan team lacked one more person.

* * *

"Thank you for your time, and Seirin for coming to Kyoto just for this interview" Suzu-san said with a grin plastered on her face. I bowed to her and walked away, to the vending machine outside to buy a drink. Picking my usual sports drink, I sat in the bench shadowed by a big tree.

"I'm honestly surprised that Kuroko had transferred to Rakuzan, of all places." I suddenly heard Kagami-kun's voice from behind the tree. All of the Seirin members were gathered at the other side of the tree, so I leaned a more to the back so that I could hear them more clearly.

"And I'm even more surprised that none of us realized that Kuroko was gone from Seirin for a week!" This time, the voice that I recognized as Hyuuga-senpai's spoke. They were silent for a few minutes, before Kagami-kun spoke again.

"Who cares? It's not like we lost that much power without him in Seirin anymore. I'm much stronger than the me from the Winter Cup after all!" Kagami-kun said while boasting about his power. I heard a loud smacking sound and Aida-senpai's voice scolding Kagami-kun. I tood up from the bench, and walked away, far from that tree.

_'__They really forgot about me'_

_'__Seirin doesn't really need me; they have a 'stronger' Kagami-kun now that could even fill the hole that I left in Seirin's power'_

_'__But Rakuzan...'_

_'__Rakuzan is very strong. With Akashi-kun as their captain and three Uncrowned Generals, they're almost undefeatable'_

_'__I don't think they need me...'_

_'__This weak and useless me'_

"Tetsuya!" Akashi-kun's voice entered my ears, and I found my feet had stopped walking because Akashi-kun was holding my wrist.

"Akashi-kun. What is it?" I asked.

"What's wrong?" He asked back.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong" I answered.

Akashi-kun thought about my answer for a moment "We're going to talk about this later." he said in a definite tone. "Anyway, if you want to go home, you can go ahead. The Principal called me earlier and I think it might take a while." Akashi-kun explained.

I nodded and prooceded to collect my bag from the library.

* * *

"I'm home" I announced. Three maids welcomed me and took my bag. I followed the one them that brought my bag. She put it in the corner of my room, bowed and went outside.

I sat on one of the cushions and took one of the books I had borrowed from Akashi-kun's library. Taking out the bookmark, I began reading. But as I read more of the words, my mind recalled what Kagami-kun had said earlier.

_"__Ha! I'm sure you just want to go to the winning and stonger team. It's actually your fault that we couldn't win the Winter Cup, you traitor!"_

_"__I'm honestly surprised that Kuroko had transferred to Rakuzan, of all places"_

_"__Who cares? It's not like we lost that much power without him in Seirin anymore. I'm much stronger than the me from the Winter Cup after all!"_

"Then...What should I do?" I asked to myself.

"Was my decision to transfer wrong?"

"Should I have stayed there and continue to bear the pain of rejection as I become nothing more that a useless player"

"Should I..." I stopped as I felt my cheeks become wet from my tears. I rubbed a hand over my eyes and tried suppressing my tears, but failed as my feelings overpowered my attempt to suppress my tears. I leaned on the wall behind me and closed my eyes. Letting the various scene from today rolled like a movie.

"It's cold..." I said as I clutched my shirt. The throbbing in my head grew more painful than before and my chest felt like it was being stabbed by countless knives. I could feel my body losing its power, I couldn't keep conscious, and soon my vision went blank.

* * *

"Ngghh..." I opened my eyes. The bright light made me close my eyes before re-opening it again.

The first thing I saw was white and brown; the color of my room's wall. I blinked a few times before trying to sit upright.I looked around. It's my room, alright, but I was sleeping in my futon, and the last thing I remembered was that my vision went blank from that unbearable headache and coldness.

"Awake?" Akashi-kun asked from the doorway. He held some bottles and capsules which looked like medicine.

"Yes..." I answered.

"You don't sound so sure" Akashi kun said, puting the medicine on the table and walking to my side.

"I...don't really know what happened to me" I said. My head was still throbbing and I could feel something wet against my forehead.

"You collapsed on the doorway with a burning fever." Akashi-kun said, taking the small clith from my forehead and dipping it into a asmall tub of water. "How do you feel?" He asked.

"Ugh...Headache" I groaned softly.

"Allright. Drink these" Akashi said while handing Kuroko some capsules and a glass of water. I immediately too the capsules and darnk it in one go.

"Thank you" I said in a soft voice.

"Your welcome." Akashi-kun said while taking the glass. "Anyway,why didn't you tell me that you were not feeling well?" Akashi-kun asked.

"I...I'm sorry." I apologised. Akashi-kun only sighed, and nodded. I took the gesture as his acceptance of my apology.

"What is the cause?"

"I don't know."

"Are you thinking about Seirin again?" Akashi-kun asked. At the mention of Seirin's name, my heart ached and I remembered the events of the day.

"Y...Yes." I answered. I clutched my shirt as my eyes started burning again.

"What is bothering you this time?" Akashi-kun asked. I felt my tears already dropping, so I wiped them off and took a deep breath. This time, without hesitating, I talked to Akashi-kun.

"When we finished the interview, I overheard Seirin talking about me" I started. "Along with Kagami-kun who said I was not needed in Seirin anymore because he is stronger now" I stopped and hesitated for a while.

"Then? That's not all it takes for person like you to collapse. I'm sure there's more" Akashi-kun said knowingly, demanding more answers.

I smiled meekly "So I thought, if Seirin who only has Kagami-kun as their ace could say that I'm not needed, how about Rakuzan?" I stopped and looked away. "Rakuzan has you and three crownless generals. Doesn't that mean that I'm not needed here too?"

"Tetsuya..." Akashi-kun called my name and used his fingers to turn my face towards his. "Tetsuya. I'm the one who suggested for you to transfer to Rakuzan. I wouldn't have said that if I only pitied you." Akashi-kun stopped. And continued in a more serious tone. "You have a talent. A talent that only you have. If Seirin said that they didn't need you, then all of them are idiots. To underestimate your power is Seirin's biggest mistake"

"Akashi-kun..."

"So...Don't ever think that Rakuzan doesen't need you. I need you, and the whole Rakuzan team needs you."

I let another tear slide. This time, a tears of pure hapiness."Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Akashi-kun" I said while giving Akashi-kun the best smile I could manage in my sickly state. Akashi-kun looked surprised, before showing a sincere smile. This time, I was the one who wassurprised, before Akashi-kun said I needed rest and he proceeded to walk outside.

"Good night" Akashi-kun said as he switched off the lamps.

"Good night to you too" I said as I closed my eyes. Trying to block all thoughts of Seiron out of my head and fill them with Akashi-kun's words.

_ '__Akashi-kun is too nice. I can feel my heart beating almost too fast now...'_

* * *

**Is this chapter good? I had a doubt about this chapter's content...**


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